Thoughts? Obviously, I have an opinion, but I'd like to hear yours?

Anyone have an opinion on Rihanna's new video "Man Down"....?

I've got nothing.

A few random things
I've been spring cleaning my house for about 2 weeks now (spring cleaning = scouring) and then, as i was walking down the stairs today, a HUGE cobweb dangling about a foot from the ceiling collided with my head.  I went bat (bleepin) crazy.

I know i say this a lot, but time is moving So very fast.  I was looking at pictures of my baby-doll today, who will be turning 6 in two months...6!!!  In those pictures he was between new and 15mos. old.  What a treasure and a joy he was - what a happy time in my life.  Littlest baby will be 2 in a month.  Holy crap - there is no making things slow down - there aren't enough pictures or videos (though thank Goodness for them - my memory is so scattered, i can live vicariously through my own pictures).

I am only one year away from being fat as many years as I've been thin...which mean I will go from being a person who is thin but sometimes heavy - to a heavy person who is occasionally thin.  Boo to this.  And though I've eaten brownies, ice cream, and hotdogs in the last three days, I seriously need to come up with a new plan.  (Also, hotdogs with sauerkraut, friend onions and mustard is my new fav.)

I planted seeds for my veggie and flower garden - and bought a few house plants (my first ever).  I have yet to kill any, though a few are already a bit peaked, i have to say i LOVE having houseplants.  It had never occurred to me to bring the garden i always wanted to me in pots. :)

One of the hardest parts about being a parent (and notice i say, one) is having to be responsible ALL THE TIME.  When you screw up, it not only screws you but your entire family as well.  That - sucks.

I'm nauseous, headachey, and have chest pains...see, I told you, I need a new plan.  

Shades of Grey

Some controversial news these days.....

What does everyone think about:

the Mosque being built a few hundred feet from Ground Zero in NYC?!?

Proposition 8 is overturned in California?

France's lower house of Parliament banning burqa style face veils - with more countries in Europe discussing similar bans?

Judge blocks Arizona Immigration Law?

just to name a few.....
doesn't it feel like things are changing by leaps and bounds lately?

Point of Interest #2 - You're not who I thought you were A.K.A 2nd Chances

So, the other day i mentioned there were two articles i found to be mildly thought provoking on HuffingtonPost.com, and then never got around to mentioning the second...this was because i rambled on for so long regarding SYTYCD, i figured i better give it a rest and come back to POI later.
Later being now i suppose.
http://www.popeater.com/2010/07/14/whoopi-goldberg-mel-gibson-the-view/
Now, it is purely coincidence that for the 2nd time in a week i mention The View and Whoopi Goldberg.  As i said, i was on HP and saw this article "Whoopi Goldberg defends herself defending Mel Gibson."  I, like many of you, have an opinion on the former movie star's antics - but i figure, i dont need to be one more person adding to the noise...rather, its a curious thing Goldberg standing up for him. (I invite you to check out the link here)...
"I know Mel, and I know he's not a racist. I have had a long friendship with Mel. You can say he's being a bonehead, but I can't sit and say that he's a racist having spent time with him in my house with my kids. I don't like what he's done, make no mistake."
Vehemently heated remarks poured into Goldberg's office and let forth their own phone message tirades (come on people, pot - kettle here), to which the View star responded with her own fervid words...
"There has been a lot of hassle ... in the media recently about moi because I had the audacity to say that I had some personal time with Mel that goes over years and years and said that I did not think of him as a racist," Whoopi began on 'The View' today.
If you had actually watched the show, you would have heard us say, and you would have heard me specifically say, 'I don't condone this. I don't think this is right, I don't think this is smart. But here's the piece of information that I have. My experience tells me that this is not a racist,'" she continued.
Being a black woman, you'd think you would give me a little bit of leeway to have some feelings if I was around a racist.
You can kiss my behind!"
This whole thing got me thinking, not about Mel and his idiocy, not about Whoopi and her situations with the viewers....but about people and their relationships with others.  For better or worse, Goldberg, having spent time with the man and considering him a good friend, Stood Up for his character even when it was the unpopular thing to do.  (You'll notice i say character and not Behavior, because there is a distinction.)  Dont we, shouldnt we all do this???  Even when our friend is being a butt-hole, if they are truly our friend, wont we rush to their side?  Isn't that just instinctual?  Does that make us better people or worse, I wonder??? I think also part of being a good friend is then pulling them aside and privately kicking them in the ass for shitty behavior. "WTF Man?  If you EVER pull that crap again, you are on your own MF!"  Well, maybe not quite so nastily, but you know, in your own softer, gentler way.
Is there a point (short of murder and the other obvious BIG no-no's) our friends can go too far?  Does that mean we never really knew them at all?  I think of people i would have sworn i knew their character, and then after years of friendship pulled something so shocking it was like looking at a stranger.   Can we believe it was all a facade for all these years? or is their nature really that of the kind, compassionate friend that has stood by our side through thick and thin, and therefore, deserve our understanding and a free pass???
Who knows....I suppose we just follow our gut - though that's not always right, is it?  What about the women who stand by their man after they continually verbally and/or physically abuse them, insisting he "doesn't mean it" and he's really "a good person"...???
I think, right or wrong i follow MY gut - trying to weigh what i know of the person vs. an act of stupidity.  I dont know if that makes me a good person or not - its just how i opperate.  Benefit of the doubt, trust, betrayal, loyalty, forgiveness?
Still, people always manage to surprise me, so...there you go.

Points of Interest #1

So, here are some things I've read recently that got me thinking.  Both coincidentally come from the same "news" site, Huffington Post....

I am a hard core, nerdlicious fan of So You Think You Can Dance (airing Wed. and Thurs. nights on the Fox network).  As a mom of three, i rarely have a must see show.  The kind you schedule your day around, shut the ringer off on the phone, live and die by show.  I was never able to keep up with such convoluted, intricately plotted shows such as 24, Lost, Heroes or those of similar character, where you miss one episode and your screwed  (Lucky for me, they are all over and done with so i dont have to feel like the odd man out in pop-culture TV society).  There are many great shows i wish i had time for, but that still require a commitment, Weeds, Fringe, In Treatment...but somehow, over 5 seasons now, come SYTYCD time, i find a way to make time in my week for the one show that continues to bring me adolescent joy (cuz lets face it, its geared toward youth) and wonderful abandon (cuz some of the routines are so full of physical and emotional abandon you cant help but be swept away in it...).  Long story short, (i know, i know - too late) I read this article yesterday and was kinda thrilled by what it was getting at...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/the-most-culturally-radic_b_645943.html
...in short, SYTYCD is "the most culturally radical show on TV.  Here the cultural wars of the last 30 years appear over."  And i LOVE THAT - because its probably, mostly TRUE!  A-Mazing!  People from every walk of life come together - no exclusions - have talent, accepted! And that is one of the things i have truly always loved about this show.  It IS based on talent (not mediocre crap you can kinda fake and wing by on with cute but ditsy personality) - these people are the real deal; making some thing your life, and working at it, training day in and day out.  And ok, cheese ball time, its really inspiring.  Plus, the choreography just kicks ass.  The only downer is the over the top comments by the judges, which i noticed Mr. Mogulescu alluded to in his article.  Its not so much for me the constant reminder to "get in character," and play a role, as much as it is the fits of tears, rants and hysterics that drags the serious nature of the performances down into the whole world of corny realty TV.  Those kids perform/dance their hearts out, and when the judges let out and ear splitting scream, or when a lower lip starts to quiver from sheer rapture, one cant help but gag and feel a bit nauseated from the overt and seemingly fake enthusiasm. 

So, am i pleased that the only show on TV that I religiously watch and swoon over is gaining notoriety and praise?  You bet!  Even more so that its being celebrated for something as exciting and encouraging as equal rights and equality!!!  Come on SYTYCD, change the world one dance at a time - who knows, maybe one day even the news will be brought to you in interpretive dance! :)